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Relocation of eight townhomes gets underway at site of Roosevelt light rail station

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JOINT SOUND TRANSIT AND ROOSEVELT DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION NEWS RELEASE

Partnership will improve neighborhood while saving taxpayer dollars and trees; media availability at 10:45 p.m. Aug. 3

As Sound Transit prepares to break ground this month on extending Link light rail to Northgate, eight townhomes now at the site of the future Roosevelt station will make nighttime journeys to new locations down the street.

The townhomes, acquired by Roosevelt Development Group, will be moved starting around 11:45 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 3. Community members are welcome to watch from the sidewalk and chat with representatives who will be on hand. News media are invited to take part in a 10:45 p.m. availability.

The structures to be moved are four buildings that house eight townhomes. Their relocation is saving Sound Transit more than $120,000 in demolition costs, keeping an estimated 320 tons of waste materials out of landfills, and saving the equivalent of up to 1,300 trees compared to rebuilding the townhomes elsewhere.

Sound Transit issued a request for proposals for a vendor to advertise and relocate the townhomes. Nickel Bros. worked closely with Roosevelt Development Group to repurpose the buildings to remain in the neighborhood as housing.

Roosevelt Development Group and Nickel Bros. will be doing the heavy lifting: A crew will provide the machinery and muscle to get the townhome buildings to their new location. Representatives from Roosevelt Development Group and Sound Transit will be available for interviews on site.

The relocations will occur late at night on Friday, Aug. 3 and Friday, Aug. 10. The buildings should be on the road by midnight and will be off the street at their new location no later than 6 a.m. each Saturday.

More information will be available at the site:

WHAT: Media availability with Sound Transit and Roosevelt Development Group representatives
WHEN: 10:45 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3
WHERE: Meet at the northeast corner of Northeast 66th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast

Sound Transit representatives will also be available to discuss the fast-approaching Aug. 17 groundbreaking for the Northgate Link extension project. Sound Transit will host a ceremony at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17 at the former QFC store site at Roosevelt Way Northeast and Northeast 66th Street. It will be followed by a community celebration from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. with activities for the whole family. Information is available at www.soundtransit.org/northgatelinkkickoff.

Relocation and re-use of the Roosevelt townhomes is part of Sound Transit's larger commitment to sustainability and the environment. Sound Transit and its contractors have taken many steps to salvage and recycle as many existing buildings as possible prior to construction of the University Link and Northgate Link extension projects. Roosevelt Development Group is pleased to participate in this innovative tactic of neighborhood revitalization.

"We're proud to be a part of this innovative plan to bring new life to Roosevelt while preserving its character," said Ed Hewson from Roosevelt Development Group. "Moving these townhomes instead of creating more waste is a winning solution any way you look at it."

The townhomes will move east down Northeast 66th Street to final destinations on 15th Avenue Northeast just south of Northeast 65th Street.

Street Closures

Streets will be closed as the convoy moves through the area and reopened after the convoy has passed. Street closures include:

  • 12th Avenue Northeast-closed at the intersection of Northeast 65th Street and 12th Avenue Northeast
  • Northeast 66th Street-closed from Roosevelt Way Northeast to 15th Avenue Northeast
  • 15th Avenue Northeast-closed from Cowen Bridge to Northeast 68th Street